Data transmission method with phase shift error correction

ABSTRACT

A data transmission method with phase shift error correction comprising: transmitting through a network a transmission signal, wherein the transmission signal comprises a reference signal component having a predetermined frequency and a data signal component; receiving the transmission signal, wherein the received transmission signal includes a phase shift error caused by the network, wherein the phase shift error is in both the received reference signal component and the received data signal component; generating a multiplier signal at a receiver having the predetermined reference frequency; using the multiplier signal to determine the phase shift error in the received transmission signal; and correcting the received data signal component using the determined phase shift error.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a data transmission method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of technologies are available to transmit informationwirelessly, particularly digitally encoded data. A telematics unitinstalled in a mobile vehicle, for example, may transmit digitallyencoded vehicle information when establishing communication with atelematics call center or data center. Wireless digital data, rangingfrom text messages to wireless file transfer, is commonly used. Digitalor binary data represents meaningful information, or symbols, encoded asa sequence of logical ones and zeros. In most encoding schemes a logicalone represents a “true” or “on” state, and a logical zero represents a“false” or “off” state.

Various methods are employed to transmit digital data wirelessly. Thesemethods include Amplitude Shift Key (ASK) where ones and zeros arerepresented as different amplitudes at the same frequency. In thismethod a representation of a one may have higher amplitude than arepresentation of a zero. Another method is Frequency Shift Keying(FSK), which represents ones and zeros as altered frequencies with noamplitude change. In this method, a one typically has a lower frequencythan a zero.

Another efficient and popular method is Phase Shift Keying (PSK) wherethe data to be transmitted is encoded by varying the phase representingones and zeros. In some cases a logical one is represented by a 180degree phase shift and a logical zero is represented by a zero degreephase shift. A variance of PSK is differential PSK, which provides aphase shift relative to the phase of the previously transmitted logicalone or zero.

An unintended phase shift error may be introduced as a signal traversesthrough landline and wireless networks. This unintended phase shifterror may cause difficulty in correctly sampling and decoding atransmitted signal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Advantageously, this invention provides a data transmission method withphase shift error correction according to claim 1.

Advantageously, according to one example, this invention provides a datatransmission method with phase shift error correction comprising:transmitting through a network a transmission signal, wherein thetransmission signal comprises a reference signal component having apredetermined frequency and a data signal component; receiving thetransmission signal, wherein the received transmission signal includes aphase shift error caused by the network, wherein the phase shift erroris both in the received reference signal component and the received datasignal component; generating a multiplier signal at a receiver havingthe predetermined reference frequency; using the multiplier signal todetermine the phase shift error in the received transmission signal; andcorrecting the received data signal component using the determined phaseshift error.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic signal transmission andreception mechanism;

FIG. 2 illustrates example schematic phase error correction; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system for implementing this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a source device 102 transmits a signal carryingdigital data and a reference signal of a know reference frequencysin(ωt), where ω is the frequency. The reference frequency sin(ωt) isalso known at the receiving device 106. For example, a binaryrepresentation of the reference frequency may reside in a fixed memorylocated within a wireless modem 320, within a telematics unit 316,and/or a modem within a receiving system 338, such as is used to supporta call center or data center.

The receiving device has operatively associated therewith memory(represented by blocks 112, 118 and 120) that can be used in signalprocessing operations described herein to buffer and temporarily storedata representing the received signal being operated on for errorcorrection purposes. Reference 108 represents source device memory.

The signal path 104 traverses through a plurality of communicationnetwork entities, such as, for example, one or more wireless carriersystems 332, communications networks 334, and land networks 336. As thesignal passes through the network entities, the signal may beadulterated by transmission factors, such as, for example, electricalnoise and transmission delay, which may cause a phase shift error in thetransmitted signal. The potentially shifted signal is then received andsampled at the receiving device 106. The received transmission containsa data component represented by Signal+ε and the received referencesignal component sin(ωt+ε), where ε is the phase error due to the offsetor shift in the initial sampling phase introduced by one or more of thenetworks.

A synchronization pattern, well known in the art, may be used to notifythe receiving device 106 to accept the incoming signal. For example, asynchronization pattern may be a specific bit pattern such as 11111111or 0000000 issued by the source device 102. Another example of asynchronization pattern is a specific tone transmitted for a specificduration of time. The receiving device 106 recognizes thesynchronization pattern and accepts the incoming signal. The terminationof the synchronization pattern triggers the beginning of the signalsample period, T₀. The duration of the sample period, time T, is left tothe designer, one skilled in the art. In some instances, the terminationof the synchronization pattern at the receiving device may not beimmediately detected, causing an additional sampling phase error.

In FIG. 2, example operation in the receiving device begins at block201, which filters the incoming signal to isolate the data and referencefrequency components. The data component, represented by Signal+ε, isprovide to block 222 and the reference signal component, represented bysin(ωt+ε), is provided to blocks 210 and 204.

At step 203, a signal cos(ωt) is generated in response to asynchronization signal developed from the transmission in a known mannerso that cos(ωt) is synchronous with sin(ωt). The signal cos(ωt) isreferred to as the reference multiplier.

In step 204, the signal sin(ωt+ε) is multiplied by cos(ωt). If theincoming signal contained no sample phase error, all sample points ofthe received reference signal would be ninety degrees out of phase withthe reference multiplier, which, when integrated from a sample period oftime zero to time T, resolves to zero. But in a transmission throughwireless and landline networks, there may likely be introduced phaseshift error, in which case the result of step 204 is not zero.

In step 206, the result of step 204 is integrated over a time period T,and the result can be shown to resolve to:∫ cos² (ωt)*sin (ε) dt.At step 210, the received reference signal sin(ωt+ε) is shifted byninety degrees, resulting in sin ((ωt+ε)+90), which is equal to −cos(ωt+ε).

At step 212, the incoming signal is operated on by the referencemultiplier cos (ωt), resulting in −cos(ωt+ε)*cos (ωt). The method thenadvances to step 214.

At 214, the result of block 212 is integrated similarly to block 206 andit can be shown that this results in:∫−cos² (ωt)*cos (ε) dt.

In step 218, the output of block 206 is divided by the output of block214, the result of which is −tan (ε). Step 220 calculates the arctangentof the result of 218, providing a quantification of the phase errorinduced in the received signal, ε.

At step 222, the phase error ε is summed with the isolated datacomponent of the received signal, Signal+ε so that the result of block222 is Signal+ε−ε or Signal. Thus, the phase shift error introduced intothe data component during the transmission process is eliminated, andthe corrected data is available for further processing.

Thus, for vehicle 310, in which is located a telematics unit 316 with awireless transceiver 318 and a hardware or software modem 320, data istransmitted over one or more wireless carrier systems 332, one or morecommunication networks 334, and one or more land networks 336, to bereceived at one or more receiving system 338. Wireless carrier system332 is implemented as a cellular communications network or any othersuitable system for transmitting signals between vehicle 310 andcommunications network 334. In one embodiment, vehicle 310 isimplemented as a mobile vehicle with suitable hardware and software fortransmitting and receiving voice and data communications. The vehicle310 may include additional components not relevant to the presentdiscussion but well known in the telematics arts. Mobile vehiclecommunication systems are known in the art.

For example, vehicle 310, through its vehicle data bus, sends signalsfrom the telematics unit 316 to various units of equipment and systemswithin the vehicle 310 to perform various functions such as unlocking adoor and executing personal comfort settings. Telematics unit 316, viathe vehicle data bus, receives signals from various units of equipmentand systems within the vehicle to perform various functions such as, forexample, determining the position and course of the vehicle 310. Forexample, turn rate sensor information on the vehicle data bus is usedwith positional information provided by a GPS receiver associated withthe telematics unit 316 to determine an accurate vehicle position withrespect to a digital map contained in the telematics unit 316 memory. Inanother embodiment, equipment and systems input and output may bedirectly connected via discrete wiring to the telematics unit 316.

Telematics unit 316 includes a processor coupled to the variouscomponents described herein, including, but not limited a microphone,one or more speakers.

Telematics unit 316 may include additional or fewer components andfunctionality as determined by the system designer and known in the artfor use in telematics units.

Coupling a vehicle telematics unit 316 to various vehicle systems andcomponents through a vehicle data bus or separate discrete connectionsis well known to those skilled in the art.

The receiving station 338 contains one or more switches, communicationsservices managers and other processing equipment to support computer andhuman operator interaction with the telematics unit 316. In one example,the receiving station supports both voice and data communication withthe vehicle telematics unit 316 and various structures for supportingthe voice and data communications are well known to those skilled in theart. The receiving station may include both data and voice call handlingcapability, or the voice and data control may be separately located. Forexample, the computer telephony applications may reside at onegeographic location while people serving as advisors for conversing withoccupants of vehicle 310 may be located at one or more other geographiclocations.

Since telematics implementations typically include bi-directional datacommunication, both the telematics unit 316 and the receiving system 338have capabilities to transmit and receive the data and to apply theerror correction set forth herein.

1. A data transmission method with phase shift error correctioncomprising: transmitting through a network a transmission signal,wherein the transmission signal comprises a reference signal componenthaving a predetermined frequency and a data signal component; receivingthe transmission signal, wherein the received transmission signalincludes a phase shift error caused by the network, wherein the phaseshift error is in both the received reference signal component and thereceived data signal component; generating a multiplier signal at areceiver having the predetermined reference frequency; using themultiplier signal to determine the phase shift error in the receivedtransmission signal; and correcting the received data signal componentusing the determined phase shift error.
 2. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: isolating the received reference signal component from thereceived data signal component; and applying the multiplier signal tothe received reference signal component.
 3. The method of claim 2further comprising: providing a ninety-degree phase shift of thereceived reference signal component; first multiplying the multipliersignal by the received reference signal component to determine a firstmultiplying result; and second multiplying the multiplier signal to theninety-degree phase shifted reference signal component to determine asecond multiplying result.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:first integrating the first multiplying result; and second integratingthe second multiplying result.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the stepof correcting comprises: determining a ratio of the first and secondintegrations, wherein the determined phase shift error is responsive tothe ratio.